Electrically heated pillow



Nov. 25, 1969 s. YOUNG ELECTRICALLY HEATED-PILLOW Filed Nov. 6, I9"?INVENTOR. Samzzei Yawzg United States Patent 3,480,760 ELECTRICALLYHEATED PILLOW Samuel Young, Fairlield Wool Co. Inc., Taylor St.,Danbury, Conn. 06810 Filed Nov. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 680,751 Int. Cl. H05b3/34, 3/54, 3/44 US. Cl. 219-528 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theinvention relates to an electrically heated pillow of the type forsupporting a persons head while sleeping, to provide gentle evendiffused heat. More particularly, the invention relates to a pillowhaving a generally planar electric heating element located symmetricallyin the center of the pillow.

Conventional pillows of the type for supporting a persons head generallyinclude an outer casing stuffed with some resilient material, such asbulked fibers, feathers, or the like. Such pillows are conventionallyplaced within a readily removable pillow slip, which may have ornamentaldesigns applied thereto. It has been discovered that the addition of anelectric heater within the pillow can provide useful warmth, withoutaffecting its general utility as a pillow. It has been known to provideblankets, comforters, and the like with an internal electric heater, asexemplified by US. Patent to Pecker, No. 2,138,745. However, theconstruction disclosed by Pecker would be unsuitable for use as apillow, since it does not have the desirable soft resiliency andthickness. Likewise known are various electrically heated seat cushions,as exemplified by US. Patent No. 1,994,759 to Dermott, No. 2,712,592 toGoldstein, and No. 1,881,198 to Kirk. These constructions are alsounsuited for the puropses of the present invention. Seat cushions suchas disclosed in Goldstein and Kirk are too rigid for comfortablysupporting the head, and such cushions are typically too thin, Inaddition, the structures disclosed in these references do not providegentle, even diffusion of the heat as is desired according to thepresent invention. The Dermott construction is liable to failure due toa puncture.

Certain known heating pad constructions are particularly adapted forapplying heat to particular regions of the body, typified by Chadner,3,103,219. However, pads of this type are not usable as an ordinarypillow, since they are specially shaped to conform to a particular bodycontour, when the body is in a particular position.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide anelectrically heated pillow of the type for supporting a persons head.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character whichprovides gentle, difiused heat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pillow of the abovecharacter in which the heating element is located substantially at thecenter of the pillow.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pillow of the abovecharacter in which the central heating element is surrounded by at leastone inch of soft resilient stufiing.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character whereinthe stuffing is permeable to air.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character in whichthe stufiing consists of bulked fibers.

3,480,750 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 A further object is to provide a pillowof the above character in which electric current for the heating elementis supplied through a cable extending through one edge of the pillowcasing.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessingthe features, properties, and the relation of elements which will beexemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of theinvention will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the pillow illustrated in FIGURE 1,partially broken away to show the stufiing and the heating element; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the preferred pillow 20, accordingly to thepresent invention may have a conventional generally rectangular form,and includes casing 22 filled with stuffing 24. An electrical heatingelement 26 is disposed in the center of pillow 20. Cable 28 extends fromheating element 26 out through one edge of casing 22, and terminates ina suitable plug 30 for connection to conventional house current. Acontrol 32 may be interposed in cable 28 if desired. Control 32 can be asimple switch, or can be of any other desired construction forcontrolling application of power to heating element 26.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, element 26 may have a constructionsimilar to commercially available electric heating pads. Thus, element26 may include an electrical resistance wire 34 arranged in a sinuouspath in the plane of an enclosing flexible, thin, insulating envelope36. Heating element 26 is thus oriented within pillow 20 within theplane defined by the edges of casing 22.

Stufiing 24 surrounds heating element 34 on all sides, and fills casing22 to the thickness normally found in pillows of the type hereindescribed.

Stuffing 24 is preferably composed of bulked fibers, of either plant oranimal origin or of synthetic materials such as polyester or polyamide,although other selected softly resilient materials can be used. Thestufiing should be permeable to air, and should be a relatively poorconductor of heat. This prevents development of excessive temperature atthe pillows surface and provides for gentle, diffused heat. In thisregard, it is preferred that casing 22 also be permeable to air. Casing22 may therefore be constructed of ordinary woven fabric. To insureadequate circulation of air through pillow 20, ventilating grommets 38may be provided in casing 22. With this construction, heat istransferred largely due to warm air rising from element 26, whilestufiing 24 prevents casing 22 from physically touching element 26 inthe event of local application of pressure. The poor heat conductivityof stuffing 24 is thus an important feature of the invention.

When heating element 26 is constructed to provide substantially the sameamount of heat as is provided by common electric heating pads, it hasbeen found that 'stufling 24 should have an uncompressed thickness inall directions from heating element 26 of at least one inch, andpreferably greater than 1 /2 inch, in order to provide the desiredsupport for the head and the necessary diffusion of heat.

According to another aspect of the invention, element 26 is locatedsymmetrically in the center of the pillow,

with cable 26 extending through one shorter edge of casing 22. Thispermits pillow 20 to be placed within a pillow slip with either side up,while still providing the same gentle, diffused heat.

It may be seen from the above disclosure together with the accompanyingdrawing that the present invention provides an electrically heatedpillow providing gentle, diffused heat. Since the heating element islocated symmetrically with respect to the pillow stufiing, with thecable extending from the heating element through one edge of the pillowcasing, the pillow may be inserted in a pillow slip with either side up,while still providing the same gentle heat. The low heat conductivity ofthe stutfing, together with its bulk, prevents casing 22 from touchingelement 26 in the event of localized application of pressure. Since heatis transmitted largely by warm air rising from element 26, the heat isgently diffused, eliminating the possibility of localized hot regions ofthe pillow.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efliciently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above article without departingfrom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of langauge, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An electrically heated head-supporting pillow comprising:

(A) a substantially planar electrical heating element including anelectrical resistance wire and a nonpermeable, flexible, insulatingenvelope enclosing said resistance wire;

(B) a body of resiliently depressible stuffing material permeable to airand having low heat conductivity encompassing and surrounding theheating element, providing a resilient heat insulation barrier at leastone inch thick enclosing the heating element;

(C) a pillow casing enclosing the body of stufling material;

(D) an electrical cord for supplying heating current to said heatingelement extending from the heating element through the stufiing materialand through the casing;

(E) and perforation means provided in the casing,

allowing fresh air to circulate into the casing, avoiding excessive heataccumulation and permitting free expansion and contraction of the pillowduring use.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 515,693 2/1894 Nutting 219-5291,439,094 12/1922 Gingras 219-529 2,114,396 4/1938 McFarlan et al.219-528 2,392,712 1/1946 Woodman 219-529 2,627,018 1/1953 Duren 219-5272,712,592 7/1955 Goldstein et al. 219-528 X 3,202,801 8/ 1965 Saluri219-528 1,881,198 10/1932 Kirk 219-528 X VOLODYMYR L. MAYEWSKY, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

